Apparatus



V(N0 Model.) v I l 3 sheetssheet 1.

P. B. HERZOG.

TELEPHONE SIGNALING APPARATUS. y No. 289,834. Patented Dec. v1 l, 1883.i

" itnesses (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

` F. B. HERZOG.

TBLBPEONB SIGNALING APPARATUS. .Y

No. 289,834. Patented Deo, l1, 1888.

Wit`nesses I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

` F. B. HERZOG.

TELEPHONE SIGNALING ABPABATUS.

No. 289,834; y Patented Dec. 11, 188s.

UNiTnn STATES PATENT Trice.

r. BENEDIOT HERZOG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TELEPHONE SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SLECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,834, dated December11, 1883.

Application led September 5, 1883.

(No model.)

T all zU/"wm, ifm/ay concern:

Be it knownthat I, F. BENEDIOT HERZOG, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in TelephoneSignaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In telephone-exchange systems where the individual subscribers arecalled up77 and put into communication with each other by a centraloffice, and also in private telephonelines where the offices call eachother directly, it is very desirable that a subscriber should be abletoleave his office with no one in charge, and that if he be then called upthe calling-office may have some means of knowing at what hour heintends to return, or where he` has gone, and' may, also, without beingobliged to wait, nd out immediately if he is not at his office or readyto respond. Itis also very desirable that when the subscriber returns tohis oice he should have some meansof knowing if he has been called up,so that he can communicate with the central or calling ofiice andascertain who has called him.

The object of my invention is to accomplish these results. I do this byproviding the ofce of each subscriber (or, in the case of a'privatewire, cach private oiiice) with an apparatus which may be properly setby the subscriber be` fore he leaves his office, and which, when it isreleased or caused to operate from the callingofli ce, willautomatically transmit a signal prearranged to indicate the hour of thesubscribers return, the place at which he may befound until a speciedhour, or any other predetermined information. I further provide eachoffice with a device arranged to be operated from a calling-ofce, and toindicate, until it is reset, that that office has been called, so as toenable the person called up to nd out who has called him.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate what I consider the bestmeans of carrying out my invention, Figure l is a front view of the boxcontaining the usual calling apparatus at a subscriber s office,together with my time signaling or indicating apparatus. Fig. 2 is afront view of my time-signaling contrivance or transmitter. Fig. 3 showsthe same with a portion of the frame removed. Fig. 4 is a top view,showing part of the mechanism.

Fig. 5 represents a telephone-exchange system with the subscribers7offices provided with automatic time-indicating coutrivances, andarranged to be operated according to my invention.

The same letters of reference indicate identical parts in all theiigures except Fig. 5.

In Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4, which represent my time-indicating contrivance,A represents the ordinary box containing the signaling appa-- ratus nowin common use, consisting of two small bells, b b, between which aclapper is made to vibrate by a pulsatory current sent over the wirefrom the calling-office. Upon the front of this box I fix a dial-plate,B, the circumference of which is divided into eight een equal arcs,which are numbered from 0 to l2 on one side to correspond to the hours,and from 10 to 50 on the other to correspond to the minutes.

In the middle of the dial B, upon the front A, is mounted or pivoted theminute-hand D, which may be moved over the dial and locked at anydesired division thereof by the projection d, which springs into thenotches@ e e,cut in the metal arc p, corresponding to the division ofthe minutes. The hour-hand O is iixed to the spindle F, which projectsthrough the center of the minute-hand D, so that the two hands areindependent of each other.

.Behind the front of the box A is iixed the clock-work transmitter,Figs. 2 and 3, which consists of the spindle F, mounted in asuitableframe, and having secured to it the clockspring J and ratchet-disk E,and carrying the toothed wheel G, which gears into the pinion H on thespindle of the escapement-wheel I. The ratchet-disk E has exactlyeighteen teeth, so that as the hour-hand Gis turned to the left insetting it, the pawl g drops behind a new tooth each time the handpasses over one of the hour-divisions, so that when the hand is letgo,the spring J tends to revolve the spindle F, and, consequently, thetoothed wheel G, in the direction indicated by the arrow, but actualrevolution is prevented by the pawl K on the armature L, which, when thearmature is drawn back, engages with the teeth of the escapernent-wheelI and thereby prevents its revolution.v r v The signaltransmittingdevice consists of a ICO circular metallic disk, M, attached to thespindle F, the periphery of which is serrated or notchedto correspond tothe desired signal, and has bearing upon it the leaf-spring a, mountedon the insulated support N. rlhe disk M may of course be formed totransmit any desired signal; but for simplicity I divide itscircumference into eighteen equal parts and cut seventeen notches orspaces, leaving the eighteenth blank, as shown, so that when the diskarrives at that point in its revolution it will omit to break thecircuit and transmit any impulse. Of these seventeen notches cut in thedisk M, twelve, on one side of theblank space, are to indicate thehours, and the remaining ive,on the other side,are to indicate theintervals of ten minutes, and since the main-line circuit is formedthrough the spring n and the peripheryof the disk, the circuit will bebroken seventeen times in one complete revolution of the disk. Thehour-hand C is so attached to the shaft F,with respect to the disk M,that, when the hand points to Zero on the dial, the blank notch is underthe springn, the disk occupying the position shown. The clockspring J isalready wound up sufliciently to carry the hour-hand() through about onecomplete revolution, so that the revolution of the hand C continuesafter passing the O-point until the said hand meets with someobstruction which prevents further revolution.

It will now be readily understood that when the hour-hand C is turned tothe left to any desired hour ou the dial, it will carry the disk Maround with it and wind up the clockspring J, the toothed wheel Gremaining stationary, and its pawl g dropping behind a new tooth of theratchet E as the hand passes over each division of the dial. Thehour-hand is then let go, and remains stationary until the projection Kis withdrawn from the escape ment-teeth I by the electro-magnet O, (thearmature L being normally drawn back by the spiral spring 8,) whereuponthe clock-work is released, and the disk M and hand C continue torevolve, after passing 0, (in the direction of the arrow,) until thehand C fetches up against the stop l, formed on the minute-hand D, sothat the revolution of the disk M ceases as the hour-hand arrives at thedivision of the dial at which the minute-hand has been set. Thus, if thehour-'hand had been set at fl and the minute-hand at 30, the disk Mwould have broken the circuit iour times in the iirst part of itsrevolution before the hour-hand reached zero, and would have broken thecircuit three times more after passing the 0 and before fetching upagainst the minute-hand, with an Y interval between the two sets ofsignals to distinguish the hours from the minutes. It is evident,therefore, that nothing is required to be done but to set each handopposite the dolsired hour and minute, and that when the clock-work isreleased by the electro-magnet O, the disk M will first transmit a setof im pulses indicating the hour, and then a set inesame dicating theten minutes, the two being separated by any desired interval.

For ordinary purposes it will be suiiiciently accurate to have the timeindicated within ten minutes, and, in the apparatus I have shown, theminute-dial is divided into Liive parts, corresponding to l0, 20, 30,40, and 50 minutes, each impulse sent over the main line correspondingto each ten minutes; but it is obvious that the disk M and dial B may beformed to transmit any desired signal or sets of impulses, or toindicate the minutes with any required degree of accuracy.

As already stated, the releasing-pawl K, which is normally drawn intothe teeth of the escapement I by the retractile spring s, is withdrawnfrom the said teeth by means of a current through the electro-magnet Osent over the main line from the calling-station; but as thiselectro-magnet is connected in the main line circuit,which is brokenevery time a notch in the disk M comes under the spring n, it isobviously necessary to prevent the armature L from dropping back andstopping the escapement each time the disk M breaks the circuit. Thisresult I secure by forming an elbow, I), (see also Fig. 4,) on the upperend of the armature L, which elbow projects through the front metalframe, q, of the instrument, and rests against the periphery of thetransmitting-disk M, as shown in Fig. 2.

The point at which the elbow I? bears upon the disk is so arranged withrespect to the position of the circuit-breaking spring n that, wheneverthe circuit is broken through the spring n and the attraction of theelectro-magnet O ceases, the elbow I? and pawl K are held forward out ofthe way of the escapement I by one of the teeth of the disk M, whichdoes not permit the elbow P to drop into one of its notches until it hasagain closed the circuit through the spring n. rIhe edges of the elbowI? are beveled,as shown, so that when thel disk M is set back by handthe teeth will automatically force the elbow I? out of the way, so asnot to interfere with its revolution.

It is to be observed that when the hand C stands at zero-the positionrepresented in the drawings-the elbow P, and, consequently, the pawl K,are held forward out of vthe Way of the escapement I by one of the teethof the disk M, and therefore the hand C would not stay at the zero-pointif set there by hand, but would be carried around by the spring J untilarrested by the stop Z,- but there is no need of setting the hour-handat Zero, because the machine would always be set to indicate some hourother than zero.

If it were desired to have the machine indicate the hour only withoutgiving the minutes, the minute-hand D would be set at zero, so vas tolimit the revolution of the hour-hand at that point. rlhe otherdivisions on the dial should of course be so arranged that when thehour-hand C points to either of them, one of the notches in the disk M,and not one of its teeth, shalhbe under the elbow P, so as to allow thepawl K to engage with the escapement I and hold the clock-work in thatposition until released by the electro-magnet.

In order that the subscriber may know when he returns to his ofcewhether he has been Y called or not, I provide a device arranged to bealso operated by the armature L whenever a current is sent through theelectro-magnet O. For this purpose I make the elbow P terminate in asecond hooked elbow, L' L', whichprojects part way through the front ofthe box A, and I hinge upon the box A a small metal plate or window, R,the outer end, r, of which is shaped so as to project into the front ofthe box and catch behind the hooked end of the elbow L, as shown inFigs. l and 4.

\Vhenever a subscriber leaves his office he turns up the window R, andthe end r is caught behind the hook L and held there, as shown by thedotted lines, Fig. l, until the armature L is drawn forward by a currentsent over the line from the calling-office, when the window is releasedand falls by its own weight, indicating thereby that that office hasbeen called.

In Fig. 5 is shown a telephone-exchange system with the central officearranged for calling the subscribers, and for the reception oi" thetime-indicating signal according to my invention.

A' A' A' A', respectively, represent subscribers offices, each of whichis provided with the usual calling and telephone apparatus forcommunicating with the central station in the customary manner, and alsowith an automatic signaling-instrument such as I have already described.rI`he line-wire circuits, after passing through annunciators B' B' B' B'at the central ofce, (or any other well-known apparatus whereby theoperator there is informed which subscriber is calling,)respectively-pass throughthe cut-out.7 switches l, 2, 3, and Ll, (or anyother well-known means whereby the signaling apparatus may be cut out inany desired one ofthe main-line circuits,) and then are connected toground, as shown. By the insertion of the plug D', consisting of a metalstrip on the upper side of a strip of insulating material, as shown, theground may be cut off and the switch F' connected to any desiredcircuit. The switch F' has two positions, one of which connects it withthe telephone apparatus and the other of which connects it with anordinary clock-work or similar register H', arranged to record theimpulses sent over the circuit in the usual man'- ner, as clearly shown,thence the circuit leads through the spring -key I normally closed;thence through the battery K, to the ground, as shown. rlhe key I' isshunted by a rheotome or other device, M', for causing pulsations in thecurrent traversing the line in the well-known manner, and therefore,when the key I' is depressed, the current from the battery K passesthrough the rheotome M and out on the main line, thereby ringing thebell at the subscribers office in the well-known way.

' The practical working of the system is then as follows: When asubscriber calls up the central office, (which he does by any wellknowncontrivance for sending a current over the line, such as amagneto-call,) the corresponding annunciator-window at the centraloffice is dropped, disclosing the name of the subscriber. Thereupon theoperator at the central office inserts the plug D' in the propercut-out, and, by communicating with the subscriber through the telephoneG', ascertains the number of a second subscriber with whom the onecalling wishes to converse. He then inserts the plug in the circuit ofthe second subscriber and turns the switch F to the right, whereby thecurrent from, the battery K' is sent to line. If the second subscriberis ab-l sent from his office and has set his indicator, the effect ofthe current is `to operate the electro-magnet O, Figs. l and 8, andrelease the clock-work, which immediately transmits the proper signal,indicating the hour of his return, &c. This signal is received andrecorded at the central ofce by means of the register H'. If thesubscriber is not absent or has not set his time-indicator, the centraloperator will at once be apprised of the fact by the non-operation oftherecorder H', and he will then press the key I' inorder to bring therheotome or vibrator M into circuit, and thus call up the secondsubscriber in the usual way, who is then put in direct telephoniecommunication with the first subscriber in the wellmanner.

l In the plan I have herein shown each main circuit is normally'closed,with no battery on the line; but when the plug D' is inserted in one ofthe cutouts,7 the battery K' isin circut and remains in circuit whilethe signal is being transmitted and the armature of the register is helddown, and therefore the signal transmitted by the time -indicatorconsists, simply, of two series of breaks in the circuit, which areshown by the registering apparatus as intervals between the marks formedby the stylus on the moving paper, as represented in Fig. 5. rlheregister may, however, be arranged in the well-known manner to mark thepaper on the upstroke of its armature, so that the marks on the paper,instead of the intervals between the marks, will correspond to thebreaks in the circuit. It is evident, however, that any kind ofregistering or indicating mechanism may be employed to register orindicate the time-signal received at the callingstation; but eventhisrecorder may be dispensed with, if desired, and an ordinarytelegraph-sounder used instead of the register, or

else the impulses may be counted by ear through the telephone.

If a register is employed to record the timesignals, the operator cantear v'off the strip of paper marked with any signal and hang it up nearthe vcorresponding subscribers circuit, so

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4 remesa that in case any third subscriber should wish to tall; with theoffice whose time-signal had already been transmitted, the centraloperator would have a record by which to inform the third subscriber thetime of the others return.

The time-transinitter may be set either when the subscriber leaves hisoiiice or when his telephone was last used, and if, in the meantime, thecentral should happen to call him, or if he should happen to returnbefore the hour at which the transmitter was set, he would be made awareof the calling by the noise ofthe clock-work in unwinding; but theapparatus may be so arranged by adjusting the tension of the retractilespring s, Fig. 3, that the ordinary pulsatory current sent over the lineto operate the call-bells b b will not be sufficiently strong towithdraw the armature L and release the clock-work, and then thepulsatory current may rst be sent over the line to ring the subscribersbelly momentarily, and then a stronger continuous current may beemployed to release the clock-work, so that the subscriber cannot failto have heard the call, if in his office.

Whenever a subscriber returns to his office, or at any other time, hemay set back his timetransmitter to the O-point, so as not to transmitany signal over the line, by pressing to the right the hook L, Figs. l,2, and 3, projecting nearly through the front of the box A, whichwithdraws the pawl K from the escapement,and so releases the clock-workand allows the hour-hand to return past 0 until it meets theminute-hand, wherever that may be set. The hour and minute hands maythen be rcset, if desired.

It is evident that my automatic signaling mechanism, whereby thecalling-office is automatically informed of the time of the subscribersreturn, may be placed in a separate box from that containing the usualcalling apparatus, and may be constructed to transmit any desiredconventional signal or signals. It is alsoevident that these signals maybe prearranged to signify other information besides the time of thesubscribers return-such as the place to which he has gone, the time heleft his office, Ste. It is likewise evident that my invention is notconfined to an automatic signaling mechanism of any particular form ofconstruction, nor to any particular mode of transmitting the signal overthe circuit.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. rI he combination, with an electric circuit, of an automaticsignaling mechanism constructed to transmit one or more signals over thecircuit, means for setting the signal mechanism so as to transmit itssignal, and a device arranged to be operated by a current through thecircuit, whereby the signal mechanism may be released orl caused tooperate and transmit its signal automatically over the circuit.

2. The combination, with a teleplionic or,

telegraphic circuit, 'of an automatic signaling mechanism located at oneoffice, and arranged to transmit two or more diiferent signals over thecircuit, as desired, means for setting the signaling mechanism so as totransmit the desired signal, and a device operated from another officeon the said circuit, whereby the signaling mechanism may be released orcaused to operate and transmit, automatically, the desired signal overthe circuit.

3. The combination, with a telephonie or telegraphic circuit, of anautomatic signaling mechanism arranged to transmit dierent signals overthe circuit, according to the position at which it is set, means forsetting the signal mechanism so as to transmit the desired signal, adevice operated by an electric current on the said circuit, whereby thesignal mechanism may be released or caused to operate and transmit itssignal over the circuit, and a recording or indicating apparatus in thesaid circuit, arranged to record or indicate the signal transmitted,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a telephonie or telegraphic circuit andsignaling apparatus operated from one office for calling a second officethereon, of an automatic signaling mechanism located at the said secondoffice, and ar-A ranged automatically to transmit different signals overthe circuit, according to the position at which it is set, means forsetting the said signal mechanism, and a device operated from the firstoffice on the said circuit, whereby the signal mechanism may be releasedor caused to operate and transmit its signal, the whole being soarranged that the operation of the calling apparatus automaticallyreleases the signal mechanism or causes it to transmit its signal overthe circuit, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a telephonie or telegraphic circuit andsignaling apparatus operated from one office for calling a second officethereon, of an automatic signaling mechanism located at the said secondoffice, and arranged automatically to transmit different signals overthe circuit, according to the position at which it is set, means forsetting the said signal mechanism, and a device operated from the firstoffice on the said circuit, whereby the signal mechanism may be releasedor caused to operate and transmit its signal, the whole being soarranged that the calling apparatus may be operated without affectingthe automatic signaling mechanism, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a telephonie or telegraphic circuit, of anautomatic signaling mechanism constructed to transmit different signalsprearranged to indicate specied times of day or other desired fact orfacts, according to the position at which it is set, means for settingthe said signal mechanism, and a device operated from another office forreleasing the signal mechanism or causing it to operate and transmit itssignal, whereby the op- VSo IIO

erator at the calling-office is automatically informed of the desiredfact or facts when the individual called is absent from his oiee,substantially as described. A

7 The combination, with a spring-actuated spindle or clock-Work andsuitable eseapement mechanism, 0f a signal-transmitting contrivaneeConstructed to transmit one set of signals or impulses before it reachesa xedpoint in its revolution, and another set of signals or impulsesafter passing the said point, means for `setting the transmittingeontrivanee at different positions, so as to alter the first set ofsignals, and means for limiting the revolution Vitnesses:

JAMES T. LAW, CHARLES G. CURTIS.

